Amy & David Butler’s Creative Textile Lab of a Home

What a wonderful treat! We’re thrilled to be able to share this peek inside the home and studio of textile designer, Amy Butler and her husband, David. Just as anyone who is familiar with her work would expect, Amy’s home is full of color and beautiful prints and patterns – in fact, the whole home inside and out serves as inspiration for her line of home products.

There isn’t a definite line between her studio and personal space. Yes, her studio is in the basement and the personal areas are on the main level, but the flow of design ideas between them is seamless. Amy and David’s home feels fresh and youthful, with an emphasis on light walls and pops of bright colors to help counteract the grey Midwest winters. And, while one may traditionally associate the Midwest with flat prairies and farmland, they are lucky to live perched on the top of a hill with an incredible view, starting at their wonderful front, side and rear gardens. Enjoy the tour!

Inspiration: Natural and repurposed finds, artistic, creative, kinetic spaces that can change easily. Bringing the outdoors in, tree house living, fresh air! We lead very busy lives and we keep our studio spaces in the lower level, so our home is like a big creative lab where we can move around and work in different areas, indoors and out.

Favorite Element: The view of the valley and the giant fireplace is what sold us on the house, along with the high cathedral ceilings. It really does feel like a tree house because of the pitch of the hill we are perched on. We’re above the trees.

Biggest Challenge: Patience to get to the things we haven’t done yet. Like the bathrooms! We save up the cash to make big changes, like the kitchen, so you have to be patient and also be willing to put up with construction and upheaval.

What Friends Say: That it is soothing and peaceful and that it feels like being on vacation when they visit. Everyone comments on how tidy we are, but we don’t see ourselves that way at all. It’s a very open and inviting layout and the view always brings a smile.

Biggest Embarrassment: The bathrooms aren’t done yet! They’re pretty bad, but everyone just finds it amusing and we’re not uptight about it.

Proudest DIY: Designing, terracing, building, and planting our fairly extensive gardens. Gardening is as much a passion for me as designing and making art. This has been a true labor of love that we get to enjoy all the time. And it constantly changes! That’s part of the excitement, like our interior spaces, it evolves and transforms. Also, designing all of our interior spaces ourselves, including the kitchen and studios, were pretty fun. We actually did all of the technical specs on the kitchen cabinetry and spaces ourselves – right down to the pull handles we had fabricated at a machine shop.

Biggest Indulgence: The kitchen appointments are for entertaining – two warming drawers, double ovens, two refrigerators, two dishwashers, and an ice machine. We figured “this is it” so let’s save up and make it exactly how we want it. It’s not a huge kitchen, but it functions extremely well. Oh and the first thing we did when we bought the house was put in an 8-person spa. We knew we’d need it after the gardening.

Best Advice: Living in your house for awhile before making changes is a good thing. See how you really live in the space and you’ll make different decisions about changes or upgrades. Don’t rush into the design if you don’t have to.

Dream Source: Flea markets, antique shows and shops, mid-century dealers. We tend to simply “find” our things when we’re out and about. But here are a few folks who have been a good constant source of very cool finds…

Monique Keegan’s Enjoy Co. is not only right down the street, but it’s the coolest home furnishings shop around.